EXAM SCORING

WHEN WILL I RECEIVE MY FINAL EXAM SCORE?

After you take an exam, you’ll receive a preliminary scaled score at the test center. This isn’t your final score.

Within four weeks of your exam, we’ll mail you an Examination Results Packet, which contains your official score report and your certification and registration results. Your score report will reveal your total score and show your relative performance by content area. You can use this valuable information in designing your own continuing education program or for guidance in studying should you need to retake the exam. 

If needed, you can request a Duplicate Examination Results Packet or a Duplicate Examination Score Report.

If we find that you provided inaccurate or incomplete information or didn’t pay all appropriate fees, we may cancel your exam score or hold the results for as long as six months after the exam. If we find you ineligible for certification and registration, or if an issue remains unresolved after six months, we’ll cancel your score. In that case, you’ll need to schedule a new exam if you're eligible. 

HOW WE SCORE EXAMS

At ARRT, we continually update exams—adding new questions and removing outdated ones to address advances in the profession. Several versions of each exam might exist at any given time.

We keep a close eye on the results of our exams. We even track the results of each individual test question. Sometimes, statistics show that one exam is slightly easier or harder than other versions. To make our exams fair and equitable to all, we use a system called scaled scoring. This method addresses differences in difficulty across versions of each exam.

Our exam scoring scale ranges from 1 to 99, and you’ll need a total score of 75 to pass the exam. This isn’t a percentage; the number of correct answers necessary to obtain a scaled score of 75 may vary. For example, on some exam versions, you might need to correctly answer 131 of 200 questions to receive a scaled score of 75. On more “difficult” exam versions, you might need only to answer 130 of 200 questions correctly to receive a 75 scaled score.  Scaled scoring is a standard practice in the assessment industry, and is commonplace in both public education and certification examinations.

What is a Cut Score? 

A cut score is the number of correct answers needed to pass an exam. A passing score shows that a candidate has mastered sufficient knowledge to be deemed qualified to effectively perform the role being tested. The standard-setting process helps to ensure that our exams appropriately measure who should and should not become certified and registered with ARRT.

What is Scaled Scoring? 

Our exam scoring scale ranges from 1 to 99, and you’ll need a total score of 75 to pass the exam. This isn’t a percentage; the number of correct answers necessary to obtain a scaled score of 75 will always vary. For example, each discipline has a different number of questions on its exams. On some exam versions, you might need to correctly answer 131 of 200 questions to receive a scaled score of 75. On more “difficult” exam versions, you might need only to answer 130 of 200 questions correctly to receive a 75 scaled score. Research supports the concept of scaled scoring, and the method meets or exceeds industry testing standards to keep our exam scores fair over time.    

TOTAL SCORE VERSUS SECTION SCORE

When we calculate exam results, we start by determining how many questions you answered correctly. Then we assign a scaled score. A scaled score of 75 or above is passing.

Next we calculate the scaled scores for the individual sections of your exams. We do this so you can see your relative performance across content sections.

Averaging your section scores doesn’t equal your total score because each section has a different number of questions. A section with 75 questions influences your score more than a section with only 35 questions.

EXCEPTION ON SONOGRAPHY EXAMS

One exception occurs with our Sonography exam. The total weighted score alone doesn’t determine whether you pass or fail the exam. You must obtain a scaled score of 75 on the overall exam and scaled section scores of 7.5 on two specific individual sections: abdomen and OB-GYN.

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE ACCURACY OF YOUR SCORE?

ARRT uses several quality-control procedures to ensure that all exams are scored with complete accuracy. It’s extremely unlikely that our scoring calculations will be incorrect. For a fee and within a certain amount of time, however, you may request a review of your score’s accuracy if you think a calculation error has occurred. Check your handbook for instructions and more information. 

LEARN MORE

You can find more information on score reporting, interpreting, and appeals in the handbook. You can also call us at 651.687.0048 with any questions.